Running the Race of Your Life
How to Persevere? (Hebrews 12:1)
Remove Sin (Hebrews 12:1, 14-17, 25-27) (Apostasy)
Receive God’s Encouragement (12:1, 5, 12)
From the People of Faith (12:1)
From the Perfecter of Faith (12:3-4)
Receive God’s Discipline (12:5-11)
Give God Thanks (12:28a)
Give God Worship (12:28b)
Slide 1
Introduction
Some of you may not have known this, but you have all been entered into a race.
Your parents signed you up back before you were even born.
Now you are in the midst of it.
If you haven’t figured it out, I am talking about the race of Life and
how you run the race of your life is important.
This isn’t your typical race though.
It is not to see who finishes first.
It is a race to see who finishes well.
The choices we make now effect how well we finish.
We can make choices that cause us to finish poorly or we can make choices to cause us to finish well.
But in the midst of the race we are going to face obstacles. In fact the race of life is more like a high hurdles marathon, if there were such a thing, than just your typical marathon.
But it is our choices in how we overcome these obstacles that make all the difference in how you finish the race.
Today, we will look at what the author of Hebrews has to say about the race of life and how we finish in Chapter 12. (turn there)
Slide
The author of Hebrews has been preparing to talk to the Hebrews about how they can face the obstacles of life so they can run and finish the race of life well. He started out by talking about people who have already finished the race of life well. We talked about that 2 weeks ago.
Now he is going to talk about how those, in the midst of the race, can keep going so they too can finish well.
Hebrews 12
12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
"My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.
18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned." 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear."
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." 27 The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken-that is, created things-so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our "God is a consuming fire."
One of the first things he tells his readers and us is to run with perseverance that race marked out for us.
That race is the life we have been given with all of its obstacles and we are to run with perseverance.
Perseverance is essential to running and finishing the race of life well.
Perseverance is Hard though.
Yes it is. That is why the author gives us some advice to show us
How to Run the Race of Life with Perseverance
Slide
The first thing I want you to see is that if we are going to Persevere, we need to
Remove Hindrances & Sin
Slide
Hebrews 12:1b, 14-17, 25-27
1…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles…
Do we need to do that right now, though? Can’t we just worry about that later, when we get older and just live free and easy now.
Why can’t you get off this stop sin and live obediently topic. That is all you ever talk about.
Let’s just enjoy some of the pleasures of sin for a while and then get cleaned up before we die.
Well there are a couple problems with that thinking.
First is that if we live that way now, those choices effect what choices will be available later.
Second, none of us know when the end will be.
Look at Hebrews 12:25-27
25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." 27 The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken-that is, created things-so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
There is a time coming when the race is going to end. We tend to look at the finish line as the end of our life and that seems so far away.
But the reality is that when the end is nobody knows.
“Well, it is a good chance that I won’t die tomorrow, so I will play the odds and work at running the race later.
The race not only ends at death, it is also over when Christ returns, and that could be any moment.
Scripture tells us that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
2 Peter 3:10-12a
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.
We need to live our lives constantly aware that we are in a race to finish well.
We need to be removing hindrances and sin so we can keep running the race.
The author mentions hindrances and sin. I want to talk briefly about each of those things.
We need to get rid of the sin in our life that is hindering us from running the race well.
The author tells the Hebrews to be holy.
Hebrews 12:14-16a
14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 16 See that no one is sexually immoral
Sin takes us off the path of running the Christian life well.
God says here is the path that will bring you to the finish line so that you finish well.
When we choose the path of sin, we are off of the path that God has shown us.
Now, we all have sin issues in our life. The sin talked about here however is lifestyle sin that we don’t really want to give up.
This will cause us to not want to
be around other Christians
be in church
because being around them tends to remind us of this sin that we don’t really want to stop.
People tend to think that the goal of coming to church or being around other Christians is to feel good. That is not the goal, however feeling good about life tends to be a by product of the goal, which is to provide hope through the gospel.
It is through the gospel that we have the hope of eternal life.
It is through the gospel that we have the hope to overcome sin.
With Christ in our life, we now have the hope of not living in sin anymore. That should make us feel better.
We need to keep that perspective though, because if we think that our goal is to feel good, then there will be times that sin accomplishes that goal.
In Hebrews 11, the author told us that Moses “chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. (Heb 11:25-26)
Be holy and remove sin so it does not hinder the running of the race of your life.
But there are also hindrances that are not sin in themselves.
They are misplaced priorities.
Hebrews 12:16-17
16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.
Esau wanted to eat. That is not a sin. He prioritized it above his inheritance rights. He prioritized short term sensual enjoyment over long term lasting reward.
When we prioritize that way, we will be hindered from finishing well. That is not persevering.
Perseverance by definition is getting through difficult times, not avoiding them at any cost.
We need to realize that there are things in life that are not necessarily bad in themselves but hinder us from running this race called life well.
Application
When we prioritize
our relationship with God or
our kids relationship with God
behind sports,
behind hobbies,
behind sensual pleasures,
behind TV,
we are hindering our ability to finish the race well because even though we may not see the consequences of it now, we will later.
Esau felt the pleasure of a full belly and probably felt satisfied.
But he later regretted selling his birthright.
The choice he made at an earlier point in life hindered his choices later in life.
Don’t find yourself later in life regretting that you didn’t have your priorities right in growing in your relationship with the Lord.
This does not mean that you can’t do anything but church things.
This does mean that you don’t do everything but church things.
Make being here on Sunday a priority.
Set an example for your kids
Make being part of a Connection group this fall a priority.
If you allow other things to be more of a priority and edge out spiritual growth opportunities, you will find yourself unable to persevere and limit your opportunities to finish well.
Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about the coming of the Lord.
He said this in
1 Thessalonians 5:1-2,4,6,11
5:1 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night…4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief…6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled…11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
And this is the next point for us to realize if we are going to run the race of life well.
We need to
Receive God’s Encouragement
Slide
We receive God’s encouragement from 2 sources.
First we need to receive God’s encouragement
From the People of Faith
Slide
Hebrews 12:1a
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,
In Chapter 11, the author just finished talking about all of these great men and women of faith. And now he says, since we have all of these people of faith as examples to us, we should be encouraged to persevere through the difficult times in the Christian faith, because they persevered through difficult times.
It is very easy for us to enter into our own pity parties when we are facing difficulties.
When we are experiencing pain, or difficult circumstances, or health issues, it is easy to focus just on that and be discouraged and just want to throw in the towel on Christianity and maybe in life.
But when we can see People of Faith who have persevered through even more difficult or extreme circumstances, it helps to give ourselves a little perspective in our own sufferings and helps encourage us to keep on keeping on.
God wants to encourage you through others and we need to receive that encouragement.
But not only should we receive God’s encouragement from the People of Faith but also
From the Perfecter of Faith
Slide
Hebrews 12:2-4
2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
4In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
When we fix our eyes on Jesus and recognize what He did for us, we should be encouraged in our own struggles and sufferings.
Jesus did everything by faith. It was His trust in the Father that led him to the cross and to the right hand of God.
His prayer before His crucifixion was, “not my will, but yours be done." Luke 22:42
Jesus persevered through incredible suffering and now is seated at the right hand of God in glory. We can look to Him who was the perfect example of faith in the midst of suffering so we can “not grow weary and lose heart.”
Keep looking to Christ.
But to persevere, we not only need to
remove hindrances and sin and
receive God’s encouragement,
but we need to also
Receive God’s Discipline
Slide
Hebrews 12:5-11
5And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
"My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."[a]
7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
To Persevere to victory, we need to receive God’s discipline.
If we are not disciplined, we will walk our own way.
This is very hard but essential. There are going to be times when we choose poorly and are disciplined through the consequences of our actions.
Listen to what the psalmist says
Psalm 119:67, 71
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.
71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.
Hardships – Due to no fault of our own
There are also times that we endure hardships due to no fault of our own, but only due to sin that is in the world.
We need to endure those hardships as disciplining us to rely more on the Lord than on the world.
I talk to person after person, who during the hard times, has drawn closer to God.
If it wasn’t for the hard times we face, the Lord’s discipline in our lives, we would not draw as near to God and would not learn perseverance.
Romans 5:3-5
we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us,
James 1:12
12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Revelation 2:3
3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
When we receive the Lord’s discipline and persevere through the hardships of life, we will be better able to finish the race well.
Paul tells us that we need to be in training
1 Corinthians 9:24-25
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
That strict training takes discipline and is hard, but it leads, for those who run the race well, rewards that will last forever.
Receive God’s Discipline.
Two final things to Running and Finishing the Race Well.
In the midst of removing Hindrances & sin and receiving Encouragement and Discipline, we need to
Give God Thanks
Slide
Hebrews 12:28a
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful
We need to give God thanks for the encouragement we receive for helping us to remove the things that hinder our ability to run the race well and for the discipline we receive that helps us stay focused.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Illustration – Leukemia Spinal Tap
A boy, David, was diagnosed with Leukemia at the age of 2. He had to go to the clinic continually for tests and treatments. Often these treatments involved pain of some sort.
When he was three, David had to have a spinal tap--a painful procedure at any age. It was explained to him that, because he was sick, Dr. Truman had to do something to make him better. "If it hurts, remember it’s because he loves you," his mom said. The procedure was horrendous. It took three nurses to hold David still, while he yelled and sobbed and struggled. When it was over, the tiny boy, soaked in sweat and tears, looked up at the doctor and gasped, "Thank you, Dr. Tooman, for my hurting."
Monica Dickens, Miracles of Courage, 1985.
Accessed on 8/10/2007 at http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/c/courage.htm
There are times when we are going to suffer through circumstances that will be painful that we don’t completely understand.
But we can trust and give thanks to God even then because we can know of His love and that the things that go on in our life are in His ultimate control and He can use them for our good.
Romans 8:28
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
God is working all things for our good. We can thank him for that.
And as we remove Hindrances, and Receive encouragement and discipline and give thanks, that is when we can truly
Give God Worship
Slide
Hebrews 12:28b-29
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our "God is a consuming fire."
Worshiping God with reverence and awe involves recognizing God for who He really is,
an all powerful God who
loves us and
has the best in mind for us at all times.
When we recognize that and act in accordance with that, we worship.
That is what Paul talks about in
Romans 12:1-2
12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Recognizing God’s mercy, we can freely put our lives in His hands having faith that He will do whatever is best for us and thus we will be able know God’s perfect path for our lives enabling us to run the race of life and finish well.
Keep Christ as our focus and his plan for us will be clear.
Paul said this was his one focus in life.
Philippians 3:13-14
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
That was what guided Paul in everything he did, a focus on Christ and the race he was entered in so that he would finish well.
Here is one of Paul’s final comments on the race of life that he was running.
2 Timothy 4:6-8
6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Conclusion
How is the Race of your life Going?
Are you running in a way to finish well?
Or are you running without any direction at all.
Start running with your eyes fixed on Christ.
If you have never entered into relationship with Jesus, you can do that now be receiving Him as your Savior.
1 John 1:12
It is possible to be a Christian and still running a race where we don’t finish well.
You have salvation, but no rewards.
Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Run with your eyes fixed on Jesus.
If you need to run the race in a different way, then pray with me now and receive God’s encouragement to do that.
Pray.
